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This article details a test project aimed at providing a comparison between a ground survey and a photogrammetry RPAS survey of the same area. With the recent advent of photogrammetry RPAS in the profession of land surveying, many questions and concerns have been raised on the accuracy and reliability of the results when compared […]

It’s one of the most isolated and intriguing places on the planet. Sitting alone in the South Pacific, tiny Easter Island, Chile (traditionally known as “Rapa Nui”), has long been the source of fascination – and disagreement – for historians and archaeologists. Researchers from around the world have conducted decades of studies to learn […]

This is my story. The Surveyor-General (SG) will have his story, Messrs Groenewald, Horn, PLS du Toit, Sauerman and many others will have theirs. The story is a true story. It is a tragedy. It has no happy ending and has been playing out and unfolding for 27 years, and there is no conclusion […]

Directional wave buoys have been around for decades. When deployed at sea, a directional wave buoy provides real-time information about the directional ocean wave spectrum. Especially parameters like the significant wave height, peak wave period and peak wave direction are used for a whole range of different applications. For example, coastal managers, engineers and […]

With the technological changes in the surveying and geomatics industry, common questions to educators often include: “Now that everyone can buy his or her own GPS and do their own surveys, what do you teach students about surveying?” or sometimes even “what is there to teach students about surveying?”. Having been in the surveying […]

The South African government has asked the CSIR to assist it with the first phase of its accelerated development project, called Operation Phakisa, which will include the utilisation of earth observation technology to help unlock the economic potential of the country’s oceans. According to its official website (operationphakisa.gov.za) the idea for Operation Phakisa was […]

This article discusses an RFID-based cadastral boundary mark system (RCMBS). The aim of the RCBMS is to modernise the conventional cadastral boundary marks with marks that are lighter, robust, and easy to locate, and which offer the capability to perform spatial/non-spatial cadastral information on site. The cadastral system in Malaysia needs to utilise appropriate […]

This article presents a proof-of-concept trial that was conducted at a mine in South Africa to investigate whether terrestrial laser scanning with real-time 3D computation could be adapted from space and military applications for the mining industry. The premise being that a terrestrial system would have the benefits of fully-automated remote management, near real-time […]

The technological age of electronic distance measurement, satellite positioning, 4x4s and aeroplanes often numbs one’s appreciation of what our surveying predecessors accomplished. Much is taken for granted and time should be taken to stand still to honour these men and reflect on our roots. The surveyors of the past are truly inspirational men, considering […]